overbearing
Americanadjective
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domineering; dictatorial; haughtily or rudely arrogant.
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of overwhelming or critical importance.
adjective
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domineering or dictatorial in manner or action
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of particular or overriding importance or significance
Other Word Forms
- overbearingly adverb
- overbearingness noun
Etymology
Origin of overbearing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Before Rowan knows it, Mag has moved in and made herself comfortable, but already seems a bit overbearing, organizing girls’ nights and declaring herself “Mag the hag.”
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
The sparks between them are obvious, and Appa, the soul of indiscretion, can’t help meddling in his overbearing way.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Compared to the overbearing shelter system, which broke up friends, mandated sobriety, lacked privacy, prohibited pets, and offered insufficient storage, Gil wanted to have a light touch.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
The emirate, now home to some 240,000 Britons, represented a place to start afresh, far from the rising costs, political upheavals and overbearing class system back home.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026
They had grown smug in their security, overbearing and fat.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
